Youthful glowing skin; everyone wants to keep it that way. But did you know that you might be doing things every day that accelerate the ageing process? Did you also know that there are things you can do every day to halt the ageing process? It is important to recognise the preventable causes and learn what you can do now to help your skin slow down the process, even if you don’t think you are ageing!

What causes skin to age?
Skin is exposed daily to external factors such as sun, stress, pollution and smoking. These stressors break and damage the skin cells and generate what is called ‘free oxygen radicals’. These free radicals are highly unstable and attack cells including the skin. The free radicals and the cells they damage contribute to premature ageing, fine lines, wrinkles, hyper pigmentation and sun spots. Normally, the younger and healthier the body, the better it can handle free radicals and the damage they cause. With age and more exposure to the environmental stressors, our body’s natural resources cannot neutralise the free radical damage, resulting in premature ageing.

What can I do to minimise this?
Sun exposure is the biggest cause of premature ageing and the biggest generator of free radicals. The UVA/UVB rays attack the skin and body constantly. This stress generates unstable free radicals that damage the skin cells. Premature ageing includes fine lines, wrinkles, sunspots, rough texture and hyper pigmentation. Daily exposure, even with minor activities such as walking or driving, will accumulate skin damage through the year. Cumulative sun exposure significantly increases the rate at which skin ages, resulting in photodamage, uneven texture, hyperpigmentation, sunspots and wrinkles.

Most of the time people assume that sun damage has occurred overnight. But ageing and damage actually take about ten years to manifest. Skin that looks fresh and healthy in the 20s may not show any damage till the 30s. This is why it is important to use sunblock as soon as possible. It’s not just a matter of lying out at the beach; one year’s worth of incidental sunlight is equal to a week at the beach.

Will smoking affect my skin?
Smoking is the next most damaging factor that can be prevented. Smoke produces toxins that also release free radicals that damage skin structure. Very often the first place you see the damage is the skin around the lips. When looking at a smoker in the 20s, you will see the vertical lip lines beginning. Smoking can also take years before visible skin damage is evident. However, each puff breaks down skin and contributes to overall stress and ageing. In addition, because of the diminished oxygen around a smoker’s face, the skin starts looking grey and ashen. It quickly looses its elasticity and youthful glow and breaks out in pimples more frequently. With the immediate cessation of smoking, you will see your complexion improve.

How do I deal with environmental damage?
Even without smoking, you may be exposed to second hand smoke, car fumes and city pollution. This also contributes to oxidative stress and generation of free radicals in the skin. In an ideal world, we could avoid these environmental stressors, but this is not always realistic. The next best thing is using topical antioxidant creams. Topical antioxidants will help reduce the free radical damage and therefore reduce the damage to skin.

What role does heredity play?
Most likely you look like someone senior to you in your family. If you look at them, assuming they have not taken the precautions to help prevent skin damage, you can see a pattern of how you might age. That is the bad news. The good news is that you now realise that the most preventable ageing factors are controlling the environment, judicious use of sun block, topical antioxidant creams and preventative care and these will help you to ward off the genetic card you were dealt.

How do I prevent ageing?
Use SPF every day! A year-round daily SPF 15 to 30 is the most essential. Make it easy by using dual-purpose sunblock and moisturiser combinations, or tinted SPFs. Look for buzzwords like UVA/UVB protection, oil free and non-greasy. Certain medications such as benzoyl peroxide, trentnoin (Retin-A ), even birth control pills, cause skin to be sun sensitive, another important reason to use sunblock daily. Finally, don’t forget SPF on your neck, chest, arms and hands! At the beach, most people do not use enough sunblock and do not reapply. The correct amount of sunblock application is one ounce for the body, 30 minutes before sun exposure. Reapply every two hours or more frequently when sweating or swimming. Even waterproof or water resistant blocks need frequent reapplication.

Are anti-oxidant creams important?
Anti-oxidant creams neutralise free radicals that damage the skin. Look for a topical cream that contains a higher percentage of the antioxidants such as green tea, vitamin C, co-enzyme q10, or Alpha-Lipoic Acid. Use them daily in addition to SPF.
A large part of ageing is controllable and outside the genetic card we were dealt. In fact, by controlling your environment and protecting your skin from your environment, you can actually slow down the ageing process.

On Dr Tabasum Mir
One of New York’s most dynamic medical professionals, cosmetic dermatologist Dr Tabasum Mir completed her residency training at New York University and Manhattan Eye Ear and Throat Hospital. She then went on to train in cosmetic and laser surgery. Dr Mir believes that, “skin should be bright, vibrant, glowing and youthful, regardless of age.”
This passion for healthy ageless skin led her to specialise in non-invasive and non-surgical cosmetic and dermatological treatments and procedures. She decided to meet the challenge of keeping skin looking young without surgery. After much research, she developed a skin care line, MirSkin, based on active medical ingredients that are designed to repair, restore and reverse skin damage and the ageing process. She also performs procedures like Botox, injectable fillers, Thermage lasers, skin rejuvenation lasers, mesotherapy, varicose vein treatment and chemical peels, keeping her on the cutting edge of medical treatments in the art and science of skin care and anti-ageing.
An expert media spokesperson for all skin care problems and solutions, Dr Mir has been featured in countless international publications and has appeared as a skin care correspondent on TV news programmes such as NBC’s Live at Five and CBS Early Show. In addition to her skin care line, Dr Mir has been on numerous radio talk shows discussing her current vitamin supplement line.
Born in Kashmir, Dr Mir’s father, a physician, migrated to the United States when she was four years old. She lives and practices in New York’s chic Soho district. She says she treats people across the board, “I have all kinds of patients from younger people interested in repair and prevention, people of all ages who have already had plastic surgery as well as those who are not interested in ever having surgery.”